Dispensing container



Sept. 8, 1964 Filed Jan. 8, 1963 L. HARTVlG-JOHANSEN DISPENSING CONTAINER 2 Sheets-Sheet l Filed Jan. 8, 1963 p 3, 1964 L. HARTVlG-JOHANSEN 3,147,907

DISPENSING CONTAINER 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 United States Patent 3,147,907 DISPENSING CONTAINER Leif Hartvig-Johansen, Elisenbergveien 35A, Oslo, Norway Filed Jan. 8, 1963, Ser. No. 250,141 Claims priority, application Norway Jan. 16, 1962 Claims. (Cl. 229-17) The invention relates to containers for powder material of the type which consists of a hollow rectangular body provided with perforations or weakening lines which make it possible to rip open a feed aperture, which aperture registers with three of the edges of the carton, so that a corner flap or corner panel of the top part of the carton can be opened up, thereby to expose a feed aperture at one of the upper corner-s of the carton.

In known containers the perforation along which the feed aperture is ripped up usually runs in an are a little way down the narrow side of the carton. To open the flap, this arced part is pressed in the thumb nail and the weakened edges are torn. The tearing is effected along a score line which is parallel to but at some distance from the corner. This score line is however not necessary and is in many cases omitted. In cartons where the material is not very stifi the pressure and tearing will often cause deformation of the carton, so that it may be difficult to tear along the perforation line. Deformation of the corner of the container will also make it diflicult later to use the torn-up flap for re-closing the feed aperture. The invention presents an improvement by arranging the perforations to register with the corner edge as well as a short part of the two adjoining side edges. To tear open the carton the thumb nail is pressed in just beneath the corner edge, whereby deformation is avoided, as the top part will act as a support against the exerted force, and pressure and tearing can be effected without deformation.

The invention further relates to special features associated with such containers, whereby the torn-up flap later can serve as an effective closure flap between each discharge of powder from the container, means being provided to lock or secure the flap in closed condition.

For a better understanding of the invention references are made to the drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the arrangement of a usual container of the type here described.

FIG. 2 shows the perforation according to the invention on a carton shown in perspective.

FIGS. 35 show in greater scale the special feature that the carton according to the invention is made with a special locking flap to secure the closure flap in closed position.

The container according to the known type shown in FIG. 1 is provided with a curved perforation P running as shown a short Way down the short side KS. When the carton is torn open, a force K is exerted as shown by the arrow in the area lying within the arc of the perforation P. Thereby the short side KS will however usually flex, so that pressure and tearing along the line P is often difficult. When the tearing is effected the panel F is bent backwards, along a score line R, while the outer edge H of the panel F is lifted. The panel F is lifted with the connected curved part down to the perforation P can then later to a certain degree be used as closure flap by being swung down again over the torn-up aperture, but there is no effective tightening or means to prevent the panel from opening if, for example, the carton should topple over.

FIG. 2 shows the arrangement of the perforation according to the invention. The perforation here co-incides with the edge H as shown by P". Further a small part of the adjoining side edges S is perforated as shown by P. To tear up the panel F the thumb nail is pressed just beneath the edge H as indicated by K. The top part T will then serve to resist this force K so that deformation of the carton does not take place apart from the slight impression of the short side KS just at the edge H, whereby the short side is torn open along the perforation P.

With the hand supporting the container a slight pressure is effected in the direction of the arrows K, which facilitates the tearing of the panel F to the line R.

Since no considerable deformation of the carton has taken place, and as the panel F has no flap attached for covering a corresponding aperture as shown in FIG. 1, the panel F makes a serviceable closure flap between each discharge.

According to a further feature of the invention it is contemplated to provide means for securing this flap against unintended opening after it has been torn open so that it shall again cover up the feed aperture.

This feature is shown in FIGS. 3-5.

The carton 1 is perforated along the three corner edges 4, 5, 4 similar to the carton in FIG. 2. Short perforations 6, 6 are however also arranged, running a short distance down the short side 3 coinciding with the corner edges of the container. Score lines are arranged as shown by 7 and 8.

A further feature of the invention according to FIGS. 3-5 is that the tear-up panel 10, which is constituted by the layers of material of the top piece 2, is provided with a finger grip in the shape of a smaller panel 9 which can be torn along the perforations 9' after the panel 10 has been torn open. The arrangement of these details will appear clearly from FIGS. 35. The perforations 6, 6 and the score line 7 provide a closure flap 11 which serves to secure the panel F in closed position as shown in FIG. 5. The tab 9 is then torn up and turned to an upstanding position as also shown in FIG. 5. Because of the tab 9 the arrangement shown in FIGS. 3-5 facilitates the use of the closure flap each time it is used for covering the feed aperture 12 after discharge.

At the same time the locking flap 11 keeps the closure panel 10 from being unintentionally opened. A container provided with a locking flap according to the invention shown and described can thus be toppled over and even turned upside down without any danger of the panel opening and the powder running out. To prevent further unintentional opening, the finger grip 9 can in closed position of the carton be swung down over the locking flap 11 as indicated by the arrow in FIG. 5.

I claim:

1. A container comprising a top and bottom wall, a front and back wall and a pair of end walls, said walls being joined together along marginal edges, said top wall being provided with a score line extending between the front and back walls at a location proximate the marginal edge formed between the top wall and an end wall, the latter end wall being provided with a score line extending between the front and back walls, said container being provided with further lines of perforation extending from the score line in the top wall towards the aforementioned marginal edge in coincidence with the marginal edges formed between the top wall and the front and back walls, said latter end wall being provided with lines of perforations extending from the latter score line in coincidence with the marginal edges formed between the said end wall and the front and back walls, said container being provided with a line of perforations in coincidence with the marginal edge formed between the aforementioned end wall and the top wall to provide a separate panel on the top wall, and another separate panel on the said end wall when the lines of perforations are severed, said panels being respectively foldably connected to the top wall and the aforementioned end well about respective associated score lines and having remote free ends, said panels being cooperatively arranged to expose an aperture for dispensing the contents from the container and to overlap in a closed position in which the aperture is covered.

2. A container as claimed in claim 1 wherein said top wall is constituted by a plurality of thickness, said panel in the top Wall being provided with a score line extending parallel to the score line in the top wall, said score line in the panel on the top wall having extremities distant from the front and back walls, said panel on the top wall having two lines of perforations in less than all the thicknesses of the top wall extending from the extremities of the score line in the top panel to the marginal edge formed between the top wall and the aforementioned end wall, whereby a tab can be formed on the panel on the top wall by severing the perforations in the panel on the top wall, said tab being raisable from the panel in the top Wall about the score line in said panel to sandwich the panel on the end wall between the tab and the top wall in the closed position of the aperture.

3. A container as claimed in claim 1 wherein said walls define a container of parallelepiped shape.

4. A container as claimed in claim 2 wherein the score line in the end wall is located closer to the marginal edge between the end wall and the top wall than does the score line in the top Wall.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 329,134 Botz Oct. 27, 1885 2,039,437 Moore May 5, 1936 2,332,153 Levin Oct. 19, 1943 2,407,865 Biskamp Sept. 17, 1946 2,417,550 Guyer Mar. 18, 1947 2,449,046 Barnes et al Sept. 14, 1948 FOREIGN PATENTS 461,178 Canada Nov. 15, 1949 

1. A CONTAINER COMPRISING A TOP AND BOTTOM WALL, A FRONT AND BACK WALL AND A PAIR OF END WALLS, SAID WALLS BEING JOINED TOGETHER ALONG MARGINAL EDGES, SAID TOP WALL BEING PROVIDED WITH A SCORE LINE EXTENDING BETWEEN THE FRONT AND BACK WALLS AT A LOCATION PROXIMATE THE MARGINAL EDGE FORMED BETWEEN THE TOP WALL AND AN END WALL, THE LATTER END WALL BEING PROVIDED WITH A SCORE LINE EXTENDING BETWEEN THE FRONT AND BACK WALLS, SAID CONTAINER BEING PROVIDED WITH FURTHER LINES OF PERFORATION EXTENDING FROM THE SCORE LINE IN THE TOP WALL TOWARDS THE AFOREMENTIONED MARGINAL EDGE IN COINCIDENCE WITH THE MARGINAL EDGES FORMED BETWEEN THE TOP WALL AND THE FRONT AND BACK WALLS, SAID LATTER END WALL BEING PROVIDED WITH LINES OF PERFORATIONS EXTENDING FROM THE LATTER SCORE LINE IN COINCIDENCE WITH THE MARGINAL EDGES FORMED BETWEEN THE SAID END WALL AND THE FRONT AND BACK WALLS, SAID CONTAINER BEING PROVIDED WITH A LINE OF PERFORATIONS IN COINCIDENCE WITH THE MARGINAL EDGE FORMED BETWEEN THE AFOREMENTIONED END WALL AND THE TOP WALL TO PROVIDE A SEPARATE PANEL ON THE TOP WALL, AND ANOTHER SEPARATE PANEL ON THE SAID END WALL WHEN THE LINES OF PERFORATIONS ARE SERVED, SAID PANELS BEING RESPECTIVELY FOLDABLY CONNECTED TO THE TOP WALL AND THE AFOREMENTIONED END WALL ABOUT RESPECTIVE ASSOCIATED SCORE LINES AND HAVING REMOTE FREE ENDS, SAID PANELS BEING COOPERATIVELY ARRANGED TO EXPOSE AN APERTURE FOR DISPENSING THE CONTENTS FROM THE CONTAINER AND TO OVERLAP IN A CLOSED POSITION IN WHICH THE APERTURE IS COVERED. 